While the Cat's Away
by words-are-my-weakness
Summary: When Gill and Rachel go to Bristol, there is more fun to be had than just solving a murder case...Absolute fluff!
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long, stressful and exasperating day. Gill and Rachel had only managed four hours sleep each; it was always difficult sleeping in a strange bed and a strange city. They had travelled to Bristol from Cambridge to 'advise' on the Jeremy Leech case. Years ago this was what Gill did day after day, and she would never forgive that bastard, she was ashamed to admit she was once married to, for leaving her and causing her to resign. She missed it like she would miss breathing, she felt alive, more alive than she had ever felt; it was something that she was good at and she did love it. Gill had worked hard to get where she was; women rarely made high-ranking officers, but Gill had done it, defied all the odds. Her parents told her she would never make it, they didn't approve of her career choice, but thirty years later, she had made a good life for herself.

Rachel had never done anything like this before, and in true Gill style, she showed Rachel who was boss. But Rachel also saw another side to Gill, a side she never knew existed; warm, kind, vulnerable even. The young detective was alarmed by her boss' confession of her true feelings; Gill was very proud, she did not speak about her feelings as she did not want other people to think of her as weak. Being the tough, strong, independent woman she portrayed meant that outsiders knew not to mess with her. Underneath Gill didn't want to be so cold, but it meant she couldn't be hurt again. Rachel didn't know whether to agree with her, hug her or keep quiet. In the end, Rachel decided the latter was probably most appropriate seeing as Gill was a senior officer; and as much as the both hated Dave, she didn't want to speak of a fellow officer, a senior officer, the Detective Superintendent to be precise, in a negative manner. A brief silence was followed by Rachel trying to change the subject as not to allow Gill to wallow in self-pity.

_X_

The following morning a tired Rachel met her boss in the reception of the hotel they were staying at in Bristol. Gill looked like she had had her full eight hours; her make-up could conceal everything. The pair travelled to North Avon Police Station where they met Rick Wallis and Ed Bennett. Ed was a junior detective; like Rachel, whereas Rick was of the same rank as Gill. Thirteen years ago when Gill was working for the NPIA and went to advise on the original Leech case; her and Rick had become good friends. Going into that office now, he knew nothing of her personal situation. From time to time they met briefly, but not to work together properly, not to catch up.

Gill, Rachel and Ed spent the day pulling together case papers and comparing all the murders, of old and of new. Gill and Rachel briefed Rick and they had a result, catching the killer. Gill sat in the office alone as Rachel went outside to make a phone call. Rick entered and stood opposite a vacant Gill.

"Gill…?" Rick called, trying to get her attention and failing. "Gill" he repeated.

"Sorry, miles away, what?" Gill replied, plastering a smile onto her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

"Fine, just tired, been a long few days. What did you want anyway?" Gill replied, trying to focus on the current conversation.

"Just wondered if you fancied a drink and a catch up before you go back to Manchester?"

"Sure" she replied standing and taking her coat.

As Gill and Rick approached the exit of North Avon, Rachel was about to re-enter the building.

"Rachel, you get yourself back to the hotel and get your head down; I'll catch you in the morning, there's something I've got to do" Gill told her officer, not wanting to say where she was really going; she would never hear the end of it.

_X_

Gill sat nursing the same glass of red wine for over an hour. Rick knew something was wrong; Gill had never been a lightweight drinker. She stared into the glass, deep in thought. For a while, he sat watching her, trying to figure her out. There was a mask, a front she put on for other people, but he had known her for nearly twenty years, worked with her day in, day out, for months; he was starting to see right through the act.

"What's going on Gill, I know something's up, you've been staring into that glass for ages" Rick spoke suddenly, startling Gill. "Sorry" he spoke softly as she regained her sense of control.

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't been much company have I?" Gill started. "It's just…this job" she broke off, not knowing what to tell him or how to say it.

"What about it?" he replied in his deep, gruff accent.

"I had to resign, three years ago, and I never realised how much I missed until these past few days, just got me thinking that's all" Gill told the man sitting opposite her.

"Why?"

"Dave went off with another woman. I couldn't leave Sammy and go buzzing off all over the place; I had to leave, for his sake" Gill replied teary-eyed.

"I'm so sorry Gill" Rick slid his hand across the table and took hold of Gill's. He gave her a smile that spoke a thousand words. Gill bit back the tears and flashed a smile back before taking a gulp of wine with her one free hand.

"Do you…want to go somewhere else?" Rick asked, looking around the pub at all the youngsters getting drunk. The pair of DCIs looked and felt slightly out of place. Gill nodded and mouthed words of agreement whilst standing and pulling on her long black coat.

Gill followed Rick along the dark streets of Bristol unaware of where she was going or what was going to happen next. They had just missed the traffic lights and a car was approaching in the distance.

"Rick, wait!" Gill shouted as he was about to run out. He grabbed hold of her hand and before she could refuse, they were running across the road, hand in hand, like a pair of teenagers.

"Come on, live a little" Rick teased. They continued to walk for some time, Rick still not letting go of the small, warm hand in his. Gill's shorter legs were unable to keep up with Rick's longer legs; she had to skip every other step.

After some time they reached an alley behind a dimly lit pub. Rick walked into the alley first; looking either way to make sure no one was around. He spun her round and pushed her up against the wet wall.

"He's an absolute idiot Gill" she knew what was coming next. "I've wanted you for such a long time" he confessed seriously, looking deep into her eyes. Gill remained silent, savouring the moment.

Rick leant in slowly, hesitantly, watching Gill's expression. Her eyes had already closed, her head bowing forwards. They were so close; breath mixing with breath, but lips not close enough to touch. He pulled back, but Gill hadn't moved. She wanted this too. He leant in again, going for the kill this time. His eyes closed briefly imagining what he had dreamt of; but he didn't need to imagine, this was real, it was better than he could ever have imagined, and they hadn't even kissed yet.

Realising their lips still hadn't met, Gill opened her eyes.

"Oh come on man, get on with it" Gill said impatiently, grabbing hold of either side of his blazer, pulling him towards her.

Their lips crashed together for the first time. It was clumsy at first, Rick panicked the whole time, not knowing what to do. It wasn't as though he hadn't kissed a woman before, he was married to one. But he had loved Gill for half of his life, and he had never done anything about it, apart from dreaming an impossible dream of them being together. But now she was here, in his arms, her lips between his. It was magical, everything he had dreamed of and more, so magical that he couldn't think. Their kisses were soft and slow and wary at first as the pair got to know each other all over again, but on a far more personal scale. As Rick got braver, he pushed his tongue against Gill's lips, her mouth opening to accommodate.

For a moment they broke apart to reassure themselves, and in their silence, neither had any doubts. Rick's arms snaked around Gill, pushing her harder against the old brick wall, but at the same time, holding her body close to his. Her arms went up and rested over his shoulders as their mouths were pulled together like magnets attracting. This time their kisses were deeper and harder as they needed each other more and more.

The pair were lost in the moment. Then a group of teenage boys walked past, giggling and pointing at them. Gill pulled back, her angry stare telling them to do one or they were for it; she had never been a woman to mess with. The mood was ruined and the moment lost. Rick stepped back, breathing a sigh of disappointment that it was over.

"Hasn't it got cold" Gill changed the subject nonchalant. Rick, ever the gentleman, took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. His arm wrapped around her, 'holding it in place'.

"I'm staying at the hotel just up the road" Gill pointed out, realising where she was.

"Right" Rick replied.

"It's very cold in there too, I don't think the heating's working" she told him seductively.

"Well, if you need something to keep you warm…" he suggested, looking straight ahead, avoiding her gaze.

"It's only a single though" she looked down, disappointed.

"Oh. Well…if we squash up a bit, it'll keep the heat in"

The tension mounted and the two ran up the stairs to Gill's room after entering the hotel, not able to wait a second longer. She ripped his clothes off and lay on the bed behind them.

They were lost in their own little fantasy. But Gill was still seeing Chris. She had a life, a family and a career back in Manchester. Long distance relationships never worked out. But at this present moment, none of that mattered.

_X_

The next morning Gill woke next to her colleague. She was horrified as she looked under the covers, realising what they had done. Her eyes closed in disbelief.

Before she had time to think, Gill was up and dressed and already packing.

"Gill?" Rick called, waking slowly. There was no reply.

"I've got to get going, I've got to pick Rachel up and I want to beat the traffic getting into Manchester" Gill tried to palm him off, refusing to look at him.

"Have I done something wrong?" he asked confused.

"No" Gill eventually met his gaze. "I've got a life in Manchester, a job, a son, a boyfriend" she said indicatively.

"So…it wasn't…me then?"

"No, it was brilliant" she replied with a smile for the first time that morning. "We just can't, it wouldn't work"

"But if you were to come back to Bristol, on another job…" he implied to Gill.

"While the cat's away…"


	2. Chapter 2

That night, after Gill had left North Avon with Rick, Rachel made her way back upstairs to the incident room. After talking to her brother on the phone, she was left watery-eyed and weary. She had been through the mill with her family; first her mother walking out on her when she was twelve years old, and then her brother being sent to prison for armed robbery. But Rachel was no saint either; she had had her fair share of problems, most of them involving men. Since she was knee-high Rachel had wanted to be a police officer in MIT; and twenty five years later, here she was, exactly where she wanted to be. She was proud of what she had achieved; she wanted others to be proud of her too, especially her mother. At school, Rachel was the brightest button, but she did what she had to in order to get by. Her teachers told her she would never make it to college or university or get a good job, but she had, and would have loved to have gone back to those people and said 'look at me now'.

Rachel was very unlike her boss, Gill. Gill was a closed book, cold, and an ice queen to the outside world. Rachel wasn't like this at all, she wore her heart on her sleeve, and more often than not got hurt, and showed it. She had a temper she couldn't control, and always ended up drunk, and doing something stupid. Gill had ways of venting her emotions; throwing cups, crying, vomiting, threatening to resign, getting pissed, shagging someone and watching television; all of which she did in the privacy of her own home, not letting anyone see her. Gill's relationship with Chris Latham was very casual, he was much younger than her, and with the responsibilities of her job, her son, and her previous marital breakdown, a serious relationship was the last thing she wanted. Whereas, Rachel's growing relationship with Sean McCartney was reaching a fever pitch and Rachel felt like she was losing control. This man had a son, an ex-wife and knew her mother, and now was proposing marriage to her. Rachel was not the maternal type, never had been since her own mother walked out on her and was not keen on the idea of being a step-mother to another woman's child. She also had baggage, Nick Savage, and after the ways in which he damaged her, paying someone to kill her, she found it difficult to trust again. She felt ambushed, like Sean was running her life for her and she couldn't stop him. She knew she loved him and that he genuinely loved her and wanted what was best for her, but there were times when she just couldn't see it. Best friend Janet had told Rachel over and over again that he was good for her, and if she let him in she could be happy. But at thirty two, she thought it was time to get married and settle down, but that level of commitment frightened her.

Rachel was so caught up in her thoughts; worrying about her brother and the two voices in her head bickering over marrying or not marrying Sean, she let a tear escape her eye. She walked slowly back up to the room to collect her bag and coat before heading back to her hotel room. Ed was walking towards her as Rachel wiped her wet cheek, trying to disguise the fact that she had been crying.

"Rachel?" Ed called to the vacant woman.

"Yeah?" Rachel replied, trying to compose herself with a deep breath.

"Have you been crying?" he asked.

"You weren't made a detective constable for nothing were you?" Rachel joked. "It's nothing, I'm fine" she tried to sound convincing.

"Drink?" he asked.

"First you're supplying me with sweets and now drink…people will start to talk" she whispered with a smile.

Rachel pulled her grey coat on and lifted her bag onto her shoulder, following Ed down the stairs and to the car park. Ed didn't drive to work as he lived so close, and he used a Met car when on the job. Rachel didn't have her car either; it was back in Manchester, and Gill had already left without her.

"Looks like we're walking then?" Ed pointed out.

"Shall we go back to the hotel, there's a nice bar there" Rachel began to walk, not waiting for a reply; her mind was already made up.

They walked and talked for some time, it was a fair distance without a car. They had only met in Cambridge a few days ago, but being of the same rank, Rachel and Ed could compare notes about the job and training.

As they got to the hotel, a group of teenagers walked by, one of them barging past Rachel. She turned to face them and shouted "Oi, watch it!" angrily. She thought they would keep going, but he turned back towards her and approached her.

"What did you say bitch" the youth said. His hand pushed against her shoulder, knocking her backwards, but not enough to fall. Ed stepped in and pushed the boy back.

"DC Bennett, DC Bailey. Assaulting a police officer is three years" he warned. The youth didn't seem fazed. "On your bike" he shooed. The group walked away to Ed's surprise. He was a good detective, but didn't have much authority as an officer, on or off duty.

"Thanks" Rachel said, her heart rate returning to normal. "I thought he was going to deck you then!" Ed only smiled, he had surprised himself. "So, erm...do you normally jump in like that for a damsel in distress?" Rachel asked.

"Only when I fancy the damsel" Ed confessed. He had only known Rachel for two days, but still he was falling for her.

"Do you know what, I don't think I fancy a drink now" Rachel implied something that was going above Ed's head.

"Oh, right, not to worry then" Ed said disappointed. He began to walk away, but Rachel caught his arm and spun him round.

"I said I don't fancy a drink" she repeated, the penny finally dropping. The pair walked arm in arm up to Rachel's room. As the door shut behind them Rachel made the first move. She knew it was wrong, she didn't fancy Ed, she had a lovely man waiting for her at home, but after the day she had had, she needed a bit of fun, to unwind and forget.


	3. Chapter 3

Rachel had left her room early, before Ed woke up, to avoid having to see him. She was regretting their night together immensely, and could not explain to him, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, he was a sweet guy. She grabbed the bag she had packed the night before and went to sit in the reception area. Rachel texted her boss from her seat downstairs to let her know where she was. Half an hour had passed and still no sign of Ed. Gill emerged from the lift as Rachel was looking for Ed, looking straight past Gill. She felt a hand on her shoulder and her blood ran cold.

"Alright kid?" It was Gill, and Rachel had never been so glad to see her before.

"Boss. I have never been pleased to see you before" Rachel confessed, not meaning for her boss to take it the wrong way. At that moment she saw Ed making for the door looking hurt and upset.

"Quick, get down" Rachel pulled Gill's arm causing her to sit beside her and buried her head inside Gill's coat. As Ed left the building Rachel sat up to see Gill's horrified expression. "Sorry"

"Rachel…what the hell is going on?" Gill asked.

"Nothing"

"Who were you hiding from? What have you done?" Gill asked, knowing Rachel too well.

"I'm meant to be with Sean, how can I ever look him in the eye again?" Rachel wittered making no sense. "I didn't even fancy him, he was just there, and…I don't how or why or…" Rachel broke off, leaving Gill struggling to make sense of what Rachel was saying.

"You shagged someone?" Gill tried to clarify.

"Not just anyone, only Ed bloody Bennett"

"Rachel Bailey and Ed Bennett….well I didn't see that one coming!" Gill laughed.

"What am I going to do boss? I can't tell Sean" Rachel whimpered.

"What happens in Bristol stays in Bristol" Gill told her, keeping her own secret of the previous night's indiscretions.

"You're very happy this morning" Rachel noted.

"Am I?" Gill replied nonchalant.

"Did you, last night, you know" Rachel tried without spelling it out.

"Maybe, anyway, it's none of your business lady"

"Who?" Rachel cashed after Gill as she made for the door. "Who?"

"Rick Wallis" Gill whispered to Rachel as she managed to catch up.

"You dark horse!" Rachel exclaimed. "What about that Chris Latham you were seeing?" she asked.

"As I said Rachel, what happens in Bristol stays in Bristol" Gill repeated, trying to mask the fears that mirrored Rachel's. She was beginning to fall for Chris; he had only been a bit of fun to start with, but she cared about him, and here she was having cheated on him. There was only one thing for it…keep quiet.

"So are you still seeing him then?" Rachel asked inquisitively.

"Yes, it's just casual for now" Gill replied. "What about you and Sean?"

"He's asked me to marry him"

"You don't sound too thrilled" Gill observed.

"I'm not. I love Sean, I do, but…" Rachel broke off, not knowing how she felt.

"But what?"

"I can't, not after Nick, I just can't" Rachel replied eventually, growing weary-eyed.

"You can. Sean isn't Nick, he'll look after you kid" Gill smiled.

"I love you boss" Rachel said out of the blue, startling Gill.

"What?" she replied in horror.

"These last few days, I've seen you for you, not that ice queen bitch mask you wear. When we were talking about Janet and you said about your ex, you looked hurt, upset, and I've never seen you like that before. I wish I was stronger, I wish I could hide it" Rachel explained.

"No kid; it's good to get it all out, don't bottle it up, it'll get you nowhere. Look at me, I bottled everything up, a complete coward, and I ended up divorced" Gill warned. "You won't tell anyone, will you, that I cried in front of you, you won't tell them that I'm human" Gill said through gritted teeth, worried her secret would be out.

Rachel tilted her head to the side and looked at Gill smiling,

"What happens in Bristol stays in Bristol"


End file.
